Bent Towards Justice
by BonJeanne
Summary: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but is bends towards justice," or, in this case, Gillian. The quote credits and the title based off of it go to Martin Luther King
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Lie To Me

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The office was hard to miss, as the words "Lightman Group" were plastered on the front of the building in large white letters. Marc Peterson swallowed nervously and unconsciously straightened his tie. He wiped his sweaty palms on his beige trousers before pulling the door open. The inside was almost like any typical office: clean interior design, professionals scurrying about, and a business atmosphere. The only thing that seemed out of the place the wall of faces. In fact, it was the only thing that confirmed him that he had gotten to the right place.

"Excuse me, sir," a voice from behind the front desk chirped. "Do you have an appointment scheduled with us today?"

"Uh… No, uh, I-" Marc stammered, voice shaking slightly. It didn't take a body language expert to see the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. "I'm looking for Dr. Foster."

"Can I help you, mate?" A swaggering British accent drew Marc's attention away from the woman behind the desk and to a man who was sauntering towards him. He looked… scraggly for lack of better words. He was dressed significantly more casually than every other person in the office, and he had a five o'clock shadow, though it was only a little past eight in the morning. He could have passed for just about any age, but the dark circles under his eyes suggested middle-aged.

When Marc remembered how to use words, he managed to spit out, "Are you Dr. Lightman?"

"Yeah." The man's eyes seemed to study him as if under a microscope. And you are?"

"Peterson. Marc Peterson," he said and extended his hand. "Can you help me?"

At that moment, a beautiful woman emerged from a nearby office. She made eye contact with Marc and smiled gently, walking towards him with an air of kindness.

"Are you Dr. Foster?" Marc demanded the moment she was in earshot.

"I am," she replied, her voice soft and sweet. She shook his outstretched hand that Lightman had rejected.

"This is Marc Peterson. He wants our help," he said. Marc couldn't tell if the look on his face was a sneer or just his face.

Dr. Foster smiled sympathetically. "Of course. Unfortunately, we don't usually do walk-ins, but I'm sure that our secretary would be happy to schedule a consultation."

"Here's the thing," Marc blurted, stumbling through the speech he had practiced in his car on the way to the office. "I'm a social worker at an underfunded public school, so I was wondering if you could do this, you know, pro-bono."

Dr Lightman rolled his eyes. "Well, _Marc_ , I think it's time for you to start a gofundme account. Come back to us when-"

"Cal!" Dr. Foster scolded, shooting him a disapproving look.

"Wait, I can make this worth your while! I promise!" Marc raised his trembling hands and thought about dropping to his knees and begging. They had to take the case. They just had to.

"You really believe that, don't you?" Dr. Lightman gave him a down up. "Well come on then, let's hear it." He raised his eyebrow, the right side of his mouth twitching into a smile, daring him onwards.

Marc took a steadying breath and faced the woman. _All or nothing._ "Dr. Foster? I can help you to get your daughter back."

* * *

Hey! This is my first Lie To Me fanfic. I'm glad to see that there's still some people who are attached to the show.

Anyway, this story popped into my head and I needed to get it out. Please review let me know if you want me to continue.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry this took so long for me to update! I'm busy as heck, so updates will be slow, but I promise I'll finish this story.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Gillian forced herself to look and sound as neutral as possible. "I don't have a daughter."

"But you did." Peterson insisted. "Sophie."

Cal looked at Gillian. Or, at least, where Gillian had been standing. She had disappeared as soon as the name was spoken.

"Can we have a minute?" Cal asked, uncharacteristically polite.

Marc nodded. "Of course."

Gillian walked to her office as quickly as she could without arousing concern. She closed herself in her office, a torrent of emotions and half-formed thoughts thundering in her mind. She fiddled with the ring on her fourth finger, the one Cal had given to her after getting on his knee and promising forever…

She heard the door open and close behind her, his light footsteps echoing in the silent room. She kept her eyes trained on the floor. Cal approached her slowly, keeping his space until her had a good enough read to calculate the best response. He gently grabbed her hand and brushed his thumb over her knuckles and her wedding band. "What d'ya say, love? Ready to get your baby girl back?"

"She's not my baby, Cal."

"You're mum."

"I was her mom. For 57 days."

"You never stopped being her mum. Not in your heart, anyway." That much was true. Gillian Foster was, for the most part, unstoppable. She had been able to overcome every challenge, every heartbreak, everything. Except for Sophie. Cal continued in a hushed tone, "I can see it in your eyes. Every time you see a mother and daughter; every time someone asks you if you have kids; everytime you see a little girl with her blue eyes. There's so much pain and despair."

Gillian blinked desperately, refusing to let any tears escape. She had wanted to be a mother more than anything else in the world. Of course, Emily was wonderful. They shared a strong bond, but alas, Zoe was her mother, and nothing would change that.

"And everytime I see that look, I want to do something about it," Cal said passionately, his voice steadily growing louder. "I want to make you stop hurting, and now is our chance! We're taking this case, Foster."

She cracked a dry smile. "What happened to the gofundme account?"

"Love, if there's the slightest chance he can get Sophie back, then dammit I'll do it." He let go of her wrist and placed them on her hips, slowly turning her to face him. He leaned closer, his eyes flickering around her face as he tried to read her.

"What, Cal?"

"There's something else… Something besides the grief and anguish… You know what it is?"

She shook her head.

"It's just the faintest touch of anger because you know that what happened to you was wrong."

Gillian pursed her lips. She hadn't even been conscious of it, but now that he had mentioned it, yes, she was angry. Pissed, even. "Oh hell." Her voice was so dark it was almost a growl. It was a terrifying, maternal rage. "I'll say it. There's a part of me that hates that woman for what she took away from me. But… Cal, if this doesn't work, I- I don't think I can-" Gillian's exterior began to crumble. There was so much hope in her heart that Marc really did know where Sophie was, and that someway, somehow, there was a way to get her back, that if it turned out to all be an elaborate plot, or, worse, that Marc really did know where Sophie was, but that she were just out of reach, then Gillian would never be able to recover. She no longer had the resolve to hold back her tears, and she pitched forward into Cal's arms as sobs shook her body.

"Alright, Love, it's okay. I've got you," he murmured. She wrapped her arms around his neck, soaking up all of the comfort he had to offer. "So we're taking this case, yeah? I won't do it if you don't want to, okay?"

She sniffled and pulled back a bit. "It's too important not to take, you know?"

"Yeah. So we're doin' this?"

"Yeah. Let's take this case."

* * *

Let me know what you think! I haven't quite ironed out the plot yet, so I'm very open to any suggestions/criticism/feedback


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Marc Peterson was a good man, Gillian thought. He was doing the best he could with what little resources he had. The Catholic school he worked for really didn't suit his rather forward-thinking mindset. He ran an afterschool "community inclusion" club that was really sex-ed and a gay-straight alliance.

It was horrible, really. A kid committed suicide, though the school called it an accident as suicide was the "ultimate mortal sin." Marc just wanted them to find out if there were any other kids struggling with suicidal thoughts and if there was any bullying involved. Gillian wasn't quite sure how that was going to get Sophie back, but that almost made it easier, like it was any other case; one that didn't involve the daughter she had lost or her ex-husband or her inability to bear children, one that didn't involve her shattered existence.

"Come to bed, love." Gillian startled at his voice, too lost in her thoughts to notice his entering. "It's nearly 3," Cal murmured as he banded his arms around her waist.

"In a minute," Gillian said and nudged him with her elbow. He didn't move. "Go back to sleep," she urged. He rested his chin on her shoulder, kissing her neck gently.

"Not goin' back 'til you do," Cal replied stubbornly yet sweetly. "I know you're scared, Gil. No use tryin' to hide it," he said as he held her tighter. "How are you doin,' love?"

"How are _you_ holding up? Can't be easy for you either. I know suicide cases are hard for you…" she tried to distract him.

"Stop," Cal chided. "Don't do that thing where you focus on other people's problems instead of opening up about your own." Gillian turned around in his embrace and rested her cheek against his chest, avoiding eye contact. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He cupped a cheek in his hand and tilted her head up, forcing her gaze to meet his. She smiled sadly.

"I don't know, Cal. I really don't. It's so weird to think that the last time I saw her, she was only about two months old. I probably won't even recognize her. She won't remember me, she might not even know that she was adopted at one point."

"That's not what's scaring you, is it?"

"It's Peterson… He seems like a good man. He was honest and humble and kind. I couldn't imagine him doing something illegal. So then why is he so confident that I can get Sophie back? The only conclusion I came to is that there are grounds for revoking her parents, but that implies that she's been mistreated." Gillian's thoughts came tumbling out of her mouth all at once. "The only comfort I had when they took Sophie away was that she was going home to a family that loves her. If they've been abusing her this whole time, I could never forgive myself—"

"It's not your fault, Gil," Cal said softly as she looked down, guilt and shame covering her features.

"Yeah," she sighed quietly. She knew that was true but couldn't convince herself of it. "I can't trust myself to be rational when it comes to Sophie." Cal hummed in acknowledgement. He held her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. They stood there in the middle of the living room until Gillian felt exhaustion beginning to settle over her. She swayed forward, resting more of her weight on Cal, her eyes struggling to remain open.

"We'll figure it out, love. I promise."

* * *

Hello! Sorry for such a long break. I promise, I won't give up on this story. I've just been super busy, and I'm also way behind in a fic in another fandom. I'll probably be updating one scene at a time to keep updates frequent, but they'll be short. Now that I sort of have an outline and a little more free time, updates should be more frequent.

Anyway, please let me know what you think! A lot of the fics I've read in this fandom are incredibly well writeen, so it's a bit intimidating to post here, but I'd love to hear your feedback. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing, so critiques are welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Is there anything you'd like to tell us?"

"No, ma'am."

"Thank you for your time, Peter. That will be all," Gillian said to the young boy sitting across from them. He bobbed his head politely and exited the office. Fifteen interviews later, not a single one revealed anything about the suicide of Jacob Stone. All of the kids showed genuine remorse and sadness. A few showed shock or confusion when they revealed that the death was a suicide. None showed any contempt or disgust at Stone's name or sadisfaction at his death.

Next to Gillian, Cal sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was tense, and he knew that he wasn't hiding it well at all. His shoulders were beginning to burn from the angle he was hunched over at, and the gum that he was chewing lose its flavor after having been chewed a little too aggressively.

"Are you ready for the next student?" Marc asked when he poked his head in.

"Give us just a minute," Gillian said. She turned to Cal and gently placed her hand on his forearm. "I know this is hard for you."

"Don't baby me."

"Talk to me, Cal."

"You already know what I'm gonna say."

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't say it."

Cal looked at her, her bright blue eyes warming his soul, tearing down his walls. He gave her a self-deprecating smile before he said, "I created this whole face-reading science to prevent suicides and to give closure to the families. You know me, love. I'm always try to find a reason. And when I can't, I just… I feel like a failure." He looked away from her gaze and down at the floor with shame.

"Cal," Gillian started, but then stopped. There weren't words that could soothe his grief or bring his mother back. Instead she scooted her chair closer to his and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm here for you. And, for the record, you'll never be failure to me. Or Emily, for that matter. We love you, no matter what."

Cal sighed softly, trying to take in her words. His mother's suicide left a gaping wound in his existence, and these cases always hit him hard. He leaned closer to Gil and kissed her forehead. There was something in her words that comforted him. Perhaps if Gil and Em, the two most important people in his life, loved him in spite of everything, he wasn't the failure he made himself out to be. He squeezed her hand in silent thanks and sat up straighter.

"We're ready now," Cal called to Marc.

Outside, they heard his voice say, "Alright, Sophie. You can go in now."

Sophie. Gillian's ears perked up. Could it be?

A girl no taller than 5 feet shuffled into the room, her slim figure was swallowed by the fabric of her school uniform, making her appear even smaller. Under emerald eyes were dark circles that contrasted her pale, almost translucent, skin. Her auburn hair tumbled down her shoulders and stopped just above her waist, the wavy tendrils framing a delicate face. Freckles dotted her cheeks like stars in a sky.

There wasn't a doubt in Gillian's mind that this was her Sophie.

"My name is Dr. Lightman, and this is my partner Dr. Foster," Cal said, jerking Gillian out of her thoughts.

She blinked and cleared her throat to refocus herself. "We are going to ask you a few questions about Jacob Stone, if that's alright."

A powerful array of emotions washed across her face despite an attempt to mask it. Gillian caught a hint of surprise, then pain, sadness, guilt, grief, and just a whisper of fear. Sophie swallowed an gave a miniscule nod of her head, her eyes focused on her feet.

"You don't have to say a word if you don't want to, alright? I just need to ask some questions, yeah?" Cal said.

Another miniscule nod of her head.

"Were you close to him?"

A strained swallow.

"Best friends, then?"

Her eyes went glassy. She bit her trembling lip.

"So you know about his death, then? That it was a suicide?"

It seemed that those words opened the floodgates. Sophie began to sob, burying her face in her hands. Gillian felt felt her heart break for this young woman. Something stirred in her, a maternal desire to shield Sophie from any pain.

"I'm so sorry," Gillian whispered. "You must miss him very much."

"He was my only friend, and I'm all alone!" Sophie tried to wipe her tears away but more took their place. "We were supposed to come out together."

"As in…?" Cal prompted.

"Me and Jacob were going to come out as gay together," she clarified between sniffles. "He was outed online. He got bullied at school, and then his parents kicked him out. He felt like he had nowhere to go."

Cal frowned. "Could you tell us who they are?"

She nodded and gave them a full list of names. By that time, she had stopped crying for the most part, though her eyes were rimmed with red and her breathing interrupted by the occasional hiccup.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?" Cal asked.

Sophie shook her head, reverting to the silent girl she had been at the beginning of the interview.

"Let us know if you need anything," Gillian said, handing her a business card with her cell phone number scribbled on the back. "I'll be here for you."

Sophie took the business card, locking eyes with Gillian for a moment before she turned to walk out the door. Gillian just hoped that it wouldn't be another 16 years before she saw her daughter again.

* * *

I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! I sort of lost faith in my ability to write and became incredibly unmotivated. Fear not, though, I'm the kind of person who likes to finish the writing that I start.

Other side note, I have a vague idea how to continue from here, but I'm really not sure. Please excuse the massive plot holes and my almost non-existant knowlege of adoption laws.

Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sophie stared at the slightly crumpled business card in her hand. She had the number memorized but couldn't summon the courage to call it. Luckily for her, it seemed that fate did not require courage. Her phone began to buzz, and that familiar number blinked along the top.

"Hello?" Sophie said.

"Sophie? It's Dr. Foster. I wanted to let you know that we've alerted the authorities about the kids that were involved with bullying. They will be held accountable for their actions. I know it won't bring Jacob back, but I hope that some justice will bring you peace."

"Thank you," she sighed. It was a long shot from peace, but something that had broken the day Jacob died was beginning to heal.

Dr. Foster, on the other end of the line, was debating what to do. She was probably already crossing a line by calling Sophie after getting her number from Peterson. There was a part of her that wanted to spill the truth, but as always, her rational, professional mind kept her in line. "I just wanted to see how you're holding up. If you wanted to talk about anything, I'm here for you."

"Could I stop by your office?" She asked timidly. "There is something—"

"Sophie!" Her mother shouted from downstairs. "Dinner!"

"I'll be there in a minute, Mom!" She replied.

Gillian's heart cracked at the three word that meant so much. She had spent years wondering what it might have been like to hear Sophie say 'mom.' Now, by some twist of fate, her wish came true, though she was not the woman that Sophie was speaking too.

"Sorry, about that Dr. Foster," Sophie said. "As I was saying, could I stop by your office? Maybe tomorrow afternoon?"

Gillian shook her head clear of her thoughts. "Of course. Anytime after five is good."

"I'll be there."

"Who was that, Love?" Cal asked when she hung up.

Gillian sighed, relaxing back into the cushions. "That was Sophie. She wants to meet with me. Tomorrow. What am I going to do, Cal? I can't tell her the truth, but I can't not tell her the truth either. She's been through so much, and I don't want to hurt her more than she's already hurting."

"Hey, hey," Cal said soothingly, taking her into his arms. "Calm down. Just wait to see what she wants to talk about, and then go from there. You're a good person. You'll do the right thing. You always do." Gillian tried to believe him, but couldn't. Wasn't it wrong to allow herself to get pulled into this case on a whim? Wasn't it wrong to let herself get attached to a client (even if the said client was her long lost daughter)? Wasn't it wrong to want to take Sophie from her birth mother? But it was too late now. She was in too deep, and now that she had the fainted chance of becoming a mother again, there was no amount of wrong decisions that could stop her.

The next day, at 5:12, Cal, quite uncharacteristically, knocked on her door before popping his head in.

"She's here," he said. Gillian nodded and attempted to keep her face as stoic as possible.

"Send her in, please."

The girl with unforgettable green eyes slyly walked into her office. Cal closed the door behind himself as he exited quietly.

"Sophie," Gillian greeted her warmly. "Please, make yourself had home." She gestured to the chair opposite her desk. The young girl sat down, her face a mix of tears, fear, and determination.

"What's going on?" Gillian asked in the same soft voice she had used to hush her as a baby.

"I want to live the life Jacob didn't get to," Sophie admitted. "I don't want to hide who I am anymore, but my parents are extremely anti-gay. They'll gladly kick me out if— when— I come out."

"I can refer you to some resources that help teens like you. Have you heard of the Trevor project?" Gillian suggested, attempting to sound neutral despite her fury towards Sophie's birth parents and a fierce sense of protectiveness.

"Yes, but I've got a different plan." There was a clever glint in her eyes, her wit shining through her hy exterior. "I''m 16 now. That means I can emancipate myself. I don't really have friends or family I can live with, but there is someone out there who might want to take me in. You see, I was adopted when I was a baby. I mean, I was adopted, but then my birth mother took me back. It seems silly when I say it out loud, but I was kind of hoping that my adoptive parents might want me back."

 _It's not silly!_ Gillian wanted to scream. _Of course I want you back. I'd adopt you again in a heartbeat._

"Anyway, " Sophie continued after reigning in her emotions. "I was hoping that you could help me find my adoptive parents. Mr. Peterson might be able to help us…"

"Sophie, what you're asking me to do is completely illegal. That was a closed adoption that happened years ago," Gillian tried to reason with her. As much as she wanted to blurt the truth, what might the legal ramifications be? She only wanted what was best for Sophie.

"I never told you it was a closed adoption." Sophie looked up, cocking her head to the side. "How did you know that?"

"You must have told me," Gillian tried to backpedal.

"I didn't. I'm sure of it. Dr. Foster, do you know her? My adoptive mom?"

Gillian felt her heart stop. They weren't supposed to be this close to the truth, but she also couldn't lie. "I do know her. And I do know that we shouldn't be having this conversation." She got up and opened the door. "You have to leave right now."

* * *

I am so so sorry for making you wait so long for an update. I had the worst writers block for this stoy. I think this chapter is kind of a mess, but I really just needed to post something to get my brain back into this story. Is anyone still reading this? If so, give me a holler in the comments! Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sophie, startled by the sudden change in atmosphere, jumped up and headed towards the door. She paused, hand on the doorknob. "What is her name?"

"Sophie, I'm sorry. Goodbye."

"Why won't you help me?" Her voice cracked. "If you know her, can you tell her that I want her back? Does she love me?"

"Oh sweetie…" Gillian fought the lump in her throat. "She loves you very much, I promise you that." Another piece of her thinly constructed mask fell away each second that went by. "You have to go. Let us know if there's anything else we can help with."

Sophie began to let tears stream down her face as her breaths hitched with sobs. "Okay, I'll go. Thanks for everything you did for Jacob."

And, just like that, her daughter walked out of her life. Gillian crumpled to the floor, body heaving with sobs. Had she made the right choice? She had certainly made the legal choice, but what that the just choice?

As some point, Cal must had become concerned that she was missing because he barged in the door. "What happened, love?" He offered his hand to help her up and lead her to the couch where she crawled into his lap.

"I've ruined everything," she mumbled miserably into his shirt. "I accidentally told her too much and then I sent her away and then I'll probably never see her again." With a sob she realized, "I'm never gonna be a mom." Cal's heart broke. If there was one person on this earth who deserved it be a mother, it was Gillian.

"We're going to fix this, love."

"How?"

"Trust me. You're going to get her back. I feel it in my bones."

* * *

The whole way home, Sophie tried rather unsuccessfully to stop her tears. Once home, she fled upstairs to her bedroom. Throwing her bag down, she sank to the floor and was overwhelmed with despair. The interaction play over and over again in her mind, searching for the moment things went wrong.

 _I was hoping you could help me find my adoptive parents_

 _What you're asking me to do is completely illegal_

 _That was a closed adoption_

 _She loves you very much_

Suddenly the gears in her head began to turn again. She came to a startling conclusion: The only thing that could explain Dr. Foster's knowledge of the adoption and her emotional reaction to the request was if Dr. Foster was the adoptive mother. A final flicker of hope was ignited in her heart. She dug through her bag until she found the now crumpled business card. With shaking hands, she dialed the number.

* * *

AN: Y'all I am so so so sorry about the unintended hiatus. I will try my best to update quicker. Thank you so much for the continued follows/faves/reviews. Keep it up!


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